"Our members are the real asset," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "I am proud of the way they stepped up to present their personal, passionate, well-researched comments against a permanent Washington, D.C., ADIZ."
More than 600 pilots also attended two public meetings, during which government officials heard personal accounts of the ADIZ's operational nightmares, safety hazards, and negative economic impact. Boyer spoke before the 11-member ADIZ panel on January 18, detailing all of the steps that have been taken to improve general aviation security since the terrorist attacks of September 2001 and urging the agencies to reevaluate whether the ADIZ is still needed.
Boyer reveals personal experience with ADIZ
For the first time in public, AOPA President Phil Boyer revealed his own personal bad experience with the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
"I've not told this story before publicly," Boyer told the ADIZ panel. On a Sunday afternoon in the summer of 2003, Boyer and his wife flew their Cessna 172 for a short pleasure flight over familiar terrain well outside the ADIZ.
But Lois Boyer, the pilot in command, was accused of violating the ADIZ.
"The FAA assured us they would take steps to make sure this kind of mistaken identity never happened again," Boyer told security officials. "It still happens all the time."
More damaging was the incident's effect on Lois Boyer. "She has flown maybe 10 hours total since then," said Boyer.
AOPA nails down Expo dates through 2009
AOPA has confirmed the dates and locations for AOPA Expo for the next four years. AOPA is the only aviation convention to regularly visit all four corners of the country, reaching the overwhelming majority of the U.S. pilot population close to where they live.
This year's Expo will be in the Southwest, in Palm Springs, California, November 9 through 11; the Northeast (Hartford) next year, October 4 through 6, 2007; Northern California (San Jose), within reach of the entire Northwest, November 6 through 8, 2008; and returning to Tampa, Florida, host of AOPA Expo 2005, November 5 through 7, 2009.
AOPA Fly-In: The perfect classroom
Working on the cross-country phase of your flight training? Learning how to enter traffic patterns or communicate on the radio? Plan a trip with your flight instructor to AOPA's sixteenth annual AOPA Fly-In and Open House on Saturday, June 3, in Frederick, Maryland. The learning opportunities will be endless.
You'll learn safety tips from experienced pilots in the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. And if you need any pilot equipment, shop 100 exhibitors. Best of all, build your knowledge of other aircraft and the latest avionics by viewing 40 aircraft that will be on display. AOPA's 2006 sweepstakes Cherokee Six also will be on hand for you to take a peek inside the cockpit. Robert Melnick of Denver, Colorado, recently won AOPA's 2005 Commander Countdown Sweepstakes aircraft.
AOPA Air Safety Foundation seeks fall intern
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation seeks students for a full-time fall internship to help develop safety education programs and materials, including print publications, live seminars, and online courses for the general aviation community. The intern receives hourly pay plus a stipend to assist with moving, housing, or flying expenses. The application deadline is June 16. See AOPA Online.
Related Articles
